ECIElection Campaign-Finance Index
How well is money in politics regulated and disclosed?
Dimensions
Contributions
66.7% · 2/3| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CONT.1Contribution limit framework codifiedIf contribution limits exist, are they set by statute (not administrative discretion)? If no limits, is that absence explicit in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.08 codifies a detailed tiered contribution-limit framework: limits by office (statewide, retention as Supreme Court justice, etc.), by donor (person, committee), with per-election ceiling. § 106.075 (5074) adds loan-reporting and post-election contribution-to-pay-loan limits. “Except for political parties or affiliated party committees, no person or political committee may, in any election, make contributions in excess of the following amounts:” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| CONT.2Independent expenditure rulesAre independent-expenditure rules (third-party spending separate from candidate committees) codified in statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.1437 + Ch. 106 independent-expenditure regime governs miscellaneous expenditures. § 97.0575 (4794) regulates third-party voter registration organizations. Codified independent-expenditure rules. “Any advertisement, other than a political advertisement, independent expenditure, or electioneering communication, on billboards, bumper stickers, radio, or television, or in a newspaper, a magazine, or a periodical, intended to influence” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| CONT.3Anonymous-contribution treatmentAre anonymous contributions (cash below the threshold, etc.) addressed in statute with a defined disposition (returned, forfeited, etc.)? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-15 |
Disclosure
70.0% · 4/5| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISC.1Disclosure threshold in statuteIs the disclosure threshold (amount above which contributions must be reported) defined in statute, not regulation? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.35 + § 106.19 (5101) codify disclosure thresholds tied to public-financing eligibility and violation penalties. “The division shall review each request for contributions from the 1 Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund and certify whether the candidate is eligible for such contributions.” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| DISC.2Enumerated filing scheduleIs the filing schedule (pre-election, post-election, quarterly, etc.) enumerated in statute with specific deadlines? | 0/10.0% | No candidate sections returned by FTS. | no FTS match 2026-05-15 |
| DISC.3Disclosure of contributor identityDoes statute require contributor name, address, occupation, and employer be disclosed for contributions above the threshold? | 2/2100.0% | § 106.0702 + § 106.0703 (5069) codify exhaustive contributor-identity disclosure: name, address, occupation, employer of contributors above threshold; required reporting by candidates, committees, electioneering communications organizations. | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| DISC.4Public access to filingsAre campaign-finance filings legally required to be publicly accessible online within a defined time of filing? | 0.5/150.0% | § 103.095 partially codifies public access through party registration. § 106.07 (not surfaced) is the primary public-access provision for campaign filings — accessible via DoS online system. | § view source 2026-05-15 |
Enforcement
100.0% · 4/4| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENF.1Penalty schedule codifiedAre penalties for campaign-finance violations defined in statute with specified amounts (civil) and/or criminal grades? | 2/2100.0% | § 106.19 codifies a comprehensive penalty schedule for campaign-finance violations: criminal penalties (first-degree misdemeanor) plus civil fines. § 106.36 (5122) imposes additional fines for public-financing-system violators. Ordinal 2/2 — both criminal and civil tracks. “Any candidate; campaign manager, campaign treasurer, or deputy treasurer of any candidate; committee chair, vice chair, campaign treasurer, deputy treasurer, or other officer of” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| ENF.2Enforcement body independenceIs the enforcement body (election commission, attorney general, campaign-finance regulator) appointed by multi-branch process and protected from in-cycle political control? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.24 establishes the Florida Elections Commission as an independent enforcement body with statutory separate-budget-entity status, dedicated to investigating and enforcing Ch. 104 and 106 violations. “There is created within the Department of Legal Affairs, Office of the Attorney General, a Florida Elections Commission, hereinafter referred to as the commission. The commission shall be a separate budget entity” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| ENF.3Private right of actionDoes statute provide a private right of action (citizen or party suit) for campaign-finance violations? | 1/1100.0% | § 97.029 codifies a private right of civil action to challenge election-law validity. § 106.27 (5110) provides criminal-proceeding pathway via competent court. “In a civil action challenging the validity of a provision of the Florida Election Code in which a state or county agency or officer is a party in state or federal court” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
Foreign Source
25.0% · 1/4| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOR.1Foreign-source prohibitionIs direct foreign contribution to a candidate or campaign committee prohibited by statute? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 97.021 — Florida election code definitions. Does not codify a foreign-source contribution prohibition specifically (FL relies on 52 U.S.C. § 30121 federal preemption for foreign-source ban). | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| FOR.2Indirect / pass-through foreign rulesAre indirect foreign-source channels (foreign nationals via domestic entities, foreign-controlled LLCs, etc.) addressed in statute? | 1/250.0% | § 104.061 criminalizes indirect corrupt influence of voters. § 106.295 governs leadership funds (potential pass-through vehicle). Partial — addresses corruption indirect rules but not foreign pass-through specifically. | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| FOR.3Foreign-source verificationAre campaign committees required by statute to verify contributors are not foreign-source (vs. relying on contributor self-attestation alone)? | 0/10.0% | No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § 106.08 governs contribution limits, not foreign-source verification. | § view source 2026-05-15 |
Traceability
100.0% · 2/2| Datapoint | Score | Rationale & evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRACE.1Records-retention requirementAre campaign committees required by statute to retain records (contributor lists, expenditure documentation, bank statements) for a defined period? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.06 codifies the campaign-finance records-retention requirement: detailed accounts current within 2 days, kept for inspection. § 105.08 (5052) parallels for judicial candidates. “The campaign treasurer of each candidate and the campaign treasurer of each political committee shall keep detailed accounts, current within not more than 2 days after the date of receiving a contribution or making an expenditure” | § view source 2026-05-15 |
| TRACE.2Audit accessAre campaign-committee records subject to mandatory audit (post-election random sample, threshold-triggered audit, or routine cycle) under statute? | 1/1100.0% | § 106.22 + § 106.24 give the Division of Elections and Florida Elections Commission statutory audit access to campaign-finance records. | § view source 2026-05-15 |